It is well known that semiconductor devices generate a great deal of heat when in use, and as a result, it is often necessary to attach the semiconductor to a heat sink, which can dissipate that heat. The heat sink may also be connected to the printed circuit board as well as the semiconductor. In many cases, the heat sink is soldered to the printed circuit board in order to hold it in place. Other types of attachment means are also used.
A principal problem is that connecting heat sinks to printed circuit boards is often labor-intensive. The connectors in the prior art are often difficult to work with. They also are relatively expensive. In addition, many of the prior art connectors in use today do not actually seat the heat sink securely in the printed circuit board. One type of prior art connector is a metal tab, which is essentially flat. A portion of the tab is connected to the heat sink, and a flat, projecting piece is arranged to fit into a hole on a circuit board to which it is soldered. The drawback with this type of connector is that in order to solder it in place, the heat sink usually must be held by hand, as the connector may slip out of the hole otherwise. This makes soldering by an automatic machine process difficult, if not impossible, in some cases. The same problem exists when replacing the heat sink after the solder has been removed.
Accordingly, one object of this invention is to provide a connector for attaching a heat sink or other similar device to a board, which connector is easy to attach the heat sink and, when attached to the heat sink, easy to attach to the printed circuit board or the like.
Another object of the invention is to provide a connector for attaching a heat sink or similar device to a board, which connector is inexpensive.
Another object of the invention is to provide a connector for attaching a heat sink or similar device to a board, which connector securely attaches the heat sink or other device prior to soldering to the board without the need for any other type of attachment means.
Another object of the invention is to provide a connector for attaching a heat sink or similar device to a board, which connector can be easily removed after any solder has been removed.